Peripheral Heart Action

Peripheral Heart Action (PHA) might sound a bit complex, but it’s a great way to ensure a truly effective workout.

The idea is simple enough – to keep your heart rate elevated for the duration of your training, which in turn means more calories burned and more efficiently.

This is all about getting results and who doesn’t want to achieve lasting results!

PHA is a fat loss tool!

It works by alternating upper and lower body exercises and injecting a shot of cardio at the end of a block of exercises or circuit. This ensures the heart rate is in an effective zone and blood flow is really coursing from head to toe.

Here is a list of eight exercises that will make up a superb PHA workout and I will conclude with a six-week programme for you.

The Exercises:

Military Get Ups

Get into a plank position, maintaining good straight body alignment. Now move one of you arms from the elbow on floor position to a palm of the hand on floor position, then do the same with the other arm/hand. Now you will be in a kind of extended push-up position. Then reverse the movement to return to your elbows on the floor plank position.

Box Jumps

Find a sturdy surface (something that won’t give way or move as you land on it) of the right height. Something like a bench works well. Work up towards a more elevated platform. Stand with feet a hip width apart and, taking off from both legs, leap onto the platform. Step off and repeat.

Bent Over Rows

A really effective upper back exercise, utilising a barbell or pair of dumbbells. Standing with feet a hip width apart, soft knees. Tip forward from the waist, keep back straight and head perfectly in line with the spine. Now pull the barbell up along the front of your legs and up towards the belly button. Slowly return and repeat.

Mountain Climbers

This is all about cardio and this will help ramp up the intensity! The starting position is like that of a sprinter in the blocks and ready to burst away from the line. But instead of breaking into a sprint, stay on the spot and alternately drive your legs back and forth, bringing up towards your elbow then extending out backwards.

Dips

You’ll find assisted dip machines in gyms or just basic dipping frames. Start with your arms locked out straight and bearing your weight, then simple bend at the elbow until the arm makes a right angle, then drive up again.

Bulgarian Lunges

Alternatively known as Bulgarian squats. It works the same way as a conventional lunge except that your back leg will be raised on something like a bench or chair. Simply lower and rise on your front leg keeping your torso and head upright and straight at all times.

Chin Ups

Many people’s bete noir – particularly ladies, however it is a superb exercise for hitting the upper body and even activates the core. Depending on your standard feel free to use an assisted chin up if you need to. Best to achieve the greatest range of movement, so drop down to a full arm extension before pulling yourself back up.

You can alter your grips – overhand (pronated), underhand (supinated), hammer (neutral) – and you can mix these up to hit different points of the upper body. Make sure you control and limit any swinging.

Burpees

A great bodyweight exercise that is often associated with ‘suffering’, but stick with it – it works!

Start in a standing position, place hands on the floor and jump back into press-up position, then jump back again with knees now in a crouched position, now jump up with hands to the ceiling…and repeat!

Now you are equipped with the exercises, let’s give you a programme!

This is a 6-Week Programme and takes the form of a circuit where you move from one exercise to another, adding additional load/intensity as you move through the weeks.

Always warm up with some cardio before embarking on the circuit

WEEKS 1 & 2

Exercise Reps Sets Rest

Military Get ups x 15 3 30 secs

Box Jumps x 12 3 30 secs

Bent over rows x 15 3 30 secs

Mountain climbers 1 min 3 30 secs

Dips x 15 3 30 secs

Bulgarian lunges x 15 3 30 secs

Chin ups To failure 3 30 secs

Burpees x 10 3 30 secs

WEEKS 3 & 4

Military Get Ups x 12 4 20 secs

Box Jumps x 15 4 20 secs

Bent Over Rows x 12 4 20 secs

Mountain Climbers 1.5 mins 4 20 secs

Dips x 12 4 20 secs

Bulgarian Lunges x 12 4 20 secs

Chin ups To failure 4 20 secs

Burpees x 10 4 20 secs

WEEKS 5 & 6

Military Get Ups x 10 5 10 secs

Box Jumps x 20 5 10 secs

Bent Over Rows x 10 5 10 secs

Mountain Climbers 2 mins 5 10 secs

Dips x 10 5 10 secs

Bulgarian Lunges x 10 5 10 secs

Chin ups To failure 5 10 secs

Burpees x 10 5 10 secs

This PHA routine will deliver, so stick with it for six weeks and enjoy greater fitness, strength and shape!

About the Expert

I am an elite swimmer and two time Olympian, having competed at London and Rio.

I live and train in London, UK where I'm based at the wonderful Ealing Swimming Club. I represent Turkey internationally and am national champion and record holder in all short and long course backstroke events.

2017 is shaping up nicely at the moment - lots of medals, personal bests and records at the recent British Nationals, Turkish Nationals and the Burns Meeting at the famous Ponds Forge venue in Sheffield, England.

I am looking forward to great personal progress throughout the year and will keep you fully

informed here at WatchFit!

I am available for commercial activities, interviews, personal appearances, clinics, talks, photo shoots. I love working with children and always try and make time to meet school groups and junior swimming clubs.